Introducing: Faithlife Study Bible 4.0

The Faithlife Study Bible app got a redesign today on both iOS & Android. Here’s your rundown on everything new and improved inside the FSB.

Redesigned for iOS 7 & Android 4.4

Embracing the flat-UI design wave, we’ve eliminated the gradients, shadows, and reflections, relying instead on a series of simple icons and beautiful typography. FSB 4.0 fits right in on the latest version of your favorite operating system—either iOS 7 or Android 4.4 KitKat.

Simplified navigation

We worked hard in 4.0 to make the most-used features more accessible. The redesigned homepage now hosts your daily readings, Verse of the Day art, and snippets from the Faithlife blog. The new slide-out menu makes it easy to get anywhere from anywhere within the app without compromising the uncluttered, text-focused reading experience we’ve always had.

Recent references in the verse picker

Probably my favorite feature in 4.0, the verse picker has a “Recent References” section. Now, when you tap to select a reference, you can choose a verse from the canonical list, a page in your book’s table of contents, or a list of verses that you’ve read recently. This feature isn’t technically new, but it’s been moved to a more convenient location. That and its ability to pin references to the list, ensures I’ll use it a lot.

New Android features

Android users like me can rejoice that we’re getting a few of the features that iOS users have enjoyed for a few months already, and a couple features that have yet to appear on iOS devices.

Two-finger scrolling—Primary navigation is still a left–right page swipe, but you can now nudge a page up or down by a few lines with a two-finger scroll. This is especially helpful when your pastor preaches on a passage that sits on a page break—now you won’t have to flip back and forth, just nudge the text one way or the other to get the entire passage onto one screen.

Notes tool—As Documents.Logos.com grows, so does the power of note-taking inside our mobile apps. The new notes tool makes it easier to create, edit, read, and share notes and note documents from your mobile device.

Note sharing—Other apps can now send content to Faithlife, creating a detached note that you file, read, and edit in the notes tool. This will be most helpful for Bible teachers and small-group leaders who may want to save headlines for use as illustrations (Android only).

Android Beam—The FSB enables device-to-device sharing of book locations through near field communication (NFC). Check your device settings to ensure that Android Beam is enabled on both devices, and then place them back-to-back with the FSB open, and enjoy. It feels like magic.

Early reviews

A small number of dedicated FSB users have been testing 4.0 for a few weeks already, providing us with helpful feedback. Their reviews have been overwhelmingly positive. Here’s some what what they’ve had to say so far:

“I like the new layout of the menu; it’s much more intuitive and easier to find what you’re looking for.”

“Really like the redesign. It feels much more unified and useful.”

“It’s as if you looked at my wish list and used it as your punch card.”

Do you agree with these early reviewers? Download the redesigned Faithlife Study Bible app from the app store of your choice, and tell us what you think in the comments.

Yes, I would appreciate that as well. I wonder if the market is too small to justify porting to Windows Phone. OTOH, I wonder how much effort there is since I assume the development enivronment for Windows Phone would be similar to Windows OS (that runs on a PC).

That's correct. We have an app in the Windows store, but it isn't recieving very much development time because the windows phone holds such a small percentage of the market. When that changes, we will reallocate our resources to match.

That's correct. We have an app in the Windows store, but it isn't recieving very much development time because the windows phone holds such a small percentage of the market. When that changes, we will reallocate our resources to match.

Rich Thirsk, hm . . . maybe so. I didn't realize there was a difference between windows phone store and windows 8 store. Windows mobile is the one device type that I don't have, so my knowledge on that platform is somewhat limited.

I congratulate you hieatrly dear Sisters. May the mercy of God envelope each one of you as you reach out to those who are deprived of the mercy of this world. May such people, too, find hope when they encounter you in your ministries. Mother Catherine M.’s spirit is visibly present in you. Long live Sisters of Mercy!